Introduction to Sous Vide Cooking

Sous what? Sous vide (pronounced sue veed) is a method of cooking often used by restaurant chefs. But now sous vide cooking is available to the home cook, thanks to appliances like the Hamilton Beach Professional Sous Vide and 6 QT Slow Cooker. This multifunctional kitchen companion allows you to cook with either the sous vide method or in slow cooker mode. Because most of you are familiar with slow cookers and slow cooking, we will introduce you to the sous vide method and help you get started in your own kitchen.

What is sous vide? Sous vide is a no-fail cooking method that uses a temperature-controlled water bath to cook sealed food evenly and to desired doneness.

Why use the sous vide method of cooking? Cooking on the stovetop or in the oven can sometimes leave you with undesirable, uneven results. Have you ever walked away for a few minutes and overcooked a steak? What about setting the oven temperature too high and turning your root vegetables into mush? Time isn’t always on our side when cooking on the stove, in the oven, or on the grill. Cooking sous vide is a different story.

With the help of the temperature-controlled water bath, sealed food reaches the exact desired internal temperature and stays there, eliminating the chance of over or undercooking your meal. Sealing food in a bags locks in moisture and seasoning throughout the cooking process, leaving you with flavorful, tender results. The method also helps achieve evenly cooked food. Prefer your steak medium-rare? Easily achieve a medium-rare steak – from edge to edge.

Sous vide cooking also allows for maximum flexibility in the kitchen. Using sous vide, you can leave your meal in the water bath while you prepare the rest of the meal, or even run errands. Because the food is held at the exact programmed temperature, there’s no chance your meal will overcook. It’s perfect for the grilling enthusiast seeking that perfectly pink center, or a frequent entertainer who wants to wow guests with a tender roast, or a family that just wants easy and flexible cooking.

Which foods can you sous vide? Sous vide is a popular method for cooking meat but you can cook a variety of foods – everything from fish to fruits and vegetables, even eggs, sauces and desserts.

Fill the vessel with warm water to slightly below the MAX line. The crock is easy removable so you can take it directly to the sink for filling. Then cover with the lid. Press the ON/OFF button and a red light will indicate that you are in sous vide mode. Use the arrow buttons to select the desired temperature. Press the TEMP/TIME button and use the arrows to set the cooking time. Press START and the water will begin to heat.

While the water bath is heating, season and seal your food. Seasoning your food before you seal it will impart flavor into the food while it cooks. Add your favorite fresh or dry herbs, compound butters, or oils. We recommend vacuum sealing your food for the best results, but you can also use resealable bags that can withstand high temperatures. When using a resealable bag, just be sure to remove as much air from the bag as you can before submerging it in the water bath.

When the desired temperature is reached, the appliance will beep and the START button will flash. Submerge your sealed food into the preheated water bath for cooking. When the food is finished cooking, remove from the bags and serve. With some foods, like steak, you may want to pat dry and quickly sear to achieve a beautifully browned exterior before serving.

Whether you like to entertain, are a grilling enthusiast, or just want to test your skills in the kitchen, the Hamilton Beach Sous Vide and 6QT Slow Cooker can help you achieve perfectly pink meat, crisp vegetables, moist chicken, and much more.

Want to bring this multi-functional countertop appliance into your kitchen? Enter to win a Hamilton Beach® Professional Sous Vide and 6QT Slow Cooker using the Rafflecopter widget below and return to the blog next week for some easy sous vide starter recipes.

348 Comments

I’d love to have restaurant quality food at home, I’ve heard that the restaurants use Sous Vide a lot in their kitchens. The chicken is always moist. I’d love to be able to cook chicken the same way. My husband would go crazy for steak done so tender.

The convenience and ease of clean up by using sous vide Cooking really appeals to me. I understand that food cooks evenly and perfectly. It would be joy to know that my cooking mishaps will end with sous vide cooking.

I would love to have this in my kitchen, I can’t really cook anymore, health issues but this is brilliant, put it in and let it cook, this is exactly the way for me to get back to eating healthy again instead of cereal and Peanut Butter and Jam sandwiches, it’s easy for me because I have severe pain in my legs, I love this idea, I have a lot of weight to loose so this is my Answer !

The sous vide cooking would be perfect for infusing flavors into meat and trying this as a
healthier way of cooking for my family!! It’s awesome that it has a consistent heat throughout
and I love cooking but don’t always have tie to stand there and prepare meals.

Just moved to a new city for a job. Trying to make new friends and meet new people — would love to impress my new friends with a sous vide dinner! I think I already have a menu in mind – sous vide pork chops with apple chutney, green beans, mashed potatoes, and freshly baked dinner rolls.

For me, cooking is about flavor, aroma, and preserving nutrients. The Hamilton Beach Sous Vide and 6QT Slow Cooker would be a great addition to my kitchen for feeding and entertaining family, friends, and for social events. I love to put the wow factor into anything I serve.

I would absolutely LOVE to have a sous vide machine! Right now I use a pot of water on the stove monitored by a thermometer (so this would make my life a million times easier!) The last thing I made sous vide was creme brulee in mason jars. I submerged them in water on the stove and held the temp at 176 for 55 minutes. I can’t even begin to imagine all the awesome stuff I could make with the Hamilton Beach Pro Sous Vide!

The amazing ways to cook food and bring out flavors would be a welcome change! This would be perfect for the upcoming holiday season— and just as perfect for any day meals. Wow! What an innovative way to cook!

I would Love to bring sous vide cooking into my kitchen because I’m a very busy mom with Fibromyalgia and a child with special needs. Putting a healthy and delicious dinner on the table every night for my family is not always easy and from what I have seen and learned about the Sous Vide/Slow Cooker, it would make it so much easier for me and with a lot less clean up. Thank you for this wonderful giveaway!

I would love to add this to my kitchen for the ease of cooking. I would be able to make so many amazing dishes for my family and not have to worry about being at the stove the whole time. Always a great thing when you can spend more time with your family!!